1. Field of Invention
Aspects of this invention are related to endoscopic imaging, and are more particularly related to blending visible and alternate images so as to provide an enhanced real-time video display for a surgeon.
2. Art
The da Vinci® Surgical System, manufactured by Intuitive Surgical, Inc., Sunnyvale, Calif., is a minimally invasive, teleoperated robotic system that offers patients many benefits, such as reduced trauma to the body, faster recovery and shorter hospital stay. One key component of the da Vinci® Surgical System is a capability to provide two-channel (i.e., left and right) video capture and display of three-dimensional (3D) visible images that provides stereoscopic viewing for the surgeon.
Such electronic stereoscopic imaging systems may output high definition video images to the surgeon, and may allow features such as zoom to provide a “magnified” view that allows the surgeon to identify specific tissue types and characteristics, as well as to work with increased precision. In a typical surgical field, however, certain tissue types are difficult to identify, or tissue of interest may be at least partially obscured by other tissue.